Kara Flook

“Dance taught Kara how to connect with audiences, tell compelling stories, build confidence in others and inspire people to embrace new ideas”

Part of the Tech Women Celebration 50 – a curated list of some of the most inspirational women working at all levels of tech

Kara Flook is a multi-award-recognised technology leader and Emerging Technology Lead at E.ON UK, shaping how one of the UK's largest energy companies adopts emerging technologies responsibly and at scale. She works at the intersection of business strategy, technology and people, translating emerging technologies into practical solutions that create value for customers, colleagues and the future of energy.

Through her leadership, she shapes the strategic direction, governance, capability and adoption approaches that enable AI and emerging technologies to deliver measurable value at scale. Passionate about making technology accessible, inclusive and human-centred, Kara combines strategic leadership with a strong focus on people, building the confidence, culture and skills needed for innovation to thrive.

She is a passionate advocate for future talent, investing in mentoring, STEM outreach and her work as an Enterprise Adviser to champion more diverse pathways into technology.

Tell us about the nominee's biggest achievement to date

Kara's biggest achievement has been establishing the foundations that enable AI to be adopted responsibly and at scale across E.ON UK. As AI emerged, there was no established blueprint for how a large, highly governed organisation could adopt and scale it responsibly.

The challenge was not simply introducing a new technology, but creating the strategy, governance, capability and support structures needed to turn potential into sustainable business value.

Today, as co-lead of E.ON UK's AI Centre of Excellence, Kara helps shape how AI is governed, adopted and scaled across the organisation. Leading the Training & Adoption workstream, she has developed learning pathways, communities and scalable enablement approaches that build organisational capability and prepare colleagues for the next stage of AI innovation and growth.

Alongside this, Kara established E.ON UK's Extended Reality capability, defining the strategy, direction and use cases for immersive technology across training, safety and workforce development. What began as grassroots innovation is now delivering measurable value while creating new opportunities to support the future energy workforce.

What is the most significant challenge the nominee has overcome?

Balancing the pace of innovation with the realities of operating within a large, highly governed organisation. As emerging technologies such as AI and Extended Reality rapidly evolved, the challenge was not simply adopting new tools, but creating an environment where innovation could thrive while maintaining the governance, trust and controls required within a critical national infrastructure business.

Recognising that successful adoption required more than technology, Kara helped create the structures, governance and support mechanisms needed to turn uncertainty into confidence and action. Through the AI Centre of Excellence, she helped establish the foundations for responsible AI adoption, developing scalable approaches to capability building, training and community engagement that allow innovation to grow safely and sustainably.

Kara faced a similar challenge with Extended Reality, building a new capability from grassroots experimentation into a strategic area of focus with a clear vision and demonstrable business value. Through collaboration, persistence and a people-centred approach, Kara has helped create the conditions for innovation to scale with confidence, enabling colleagues to embrace emerging technologies while ensuring they are adopted responsibly and effectively

Tell us something about the nominee people would find surprising

Many people are surprised to learn that Kara's route into technology began not in a computer lab, but in a dance studio. She holds a master's degree in dance and spent the early part of her career teaching, performing and choreographing before moving into digital technology.

While the two worlds may seem very different, Kara credits her creative background with shaping her leadership style today. Dance taught her how to connect with audiences, tell compelling stories, build confidence in others and inspire people to embrace new ideas, skills that have proven invaluable when leading the adoption of emerging technologies.

Her experience has shown that there is no single path into technology. This belief underpins her passion for mentoring, STEM outreach and her work as an Enterprise Adviser, where she encourages others from non-traditional backgrounds to see a place for themselves in the industry. Kara's journey demonstrates that some of the most effective technology leaders are not defined by where they started, but by their ability to bring people with them on the journey.